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LOGO

NEUROBIOLOGICAL
CAUSES OF
DEPRESSION

www.themegallery.com
Presented by:

 Kanwal iftikhar
 Ayeshah mahmood
 Summayia Qasim
chaudhary
 Shehna bilques
 Farah Azad
 Tayyaba Yasmin
 Kalsoom khan
Main Topics

What is Depression?

How Neurotransmitters
cause depression?
What are the changes
in Brain associated with
depression?
How Neuroendocrine
system is linked with
depression?
WHAT IS DEPRESSION?
MAJOR SYMPTOMS OF DEPRESSION

Sad mood
Loss of interest in usual
activities
 Insomnia
 Psychomotor retardation
 Poor appetite/ Increased
appetite
 Feeling of worthlessness
 Difficulty in concentrating
 Recurrent thoughts of death
or suicide
WHAT ARE THE NEUROBIOLOGICAL
CAUSES OF DEPRESSION?
 Genetic
factors

Changes
in Brain

Imbalance
in
Neuro Changes in
DEPRESSION
Text
transmittors the activity
of HPA axis
 GENETIC FACTORS:

1)Proband:
James and Chapman (1975) found that the
risk estimates for the first degree relatives of
bipolar disorder were 13.2% for depression
while 6.2% for bipolar disorder
2)Twin studies
Concordance rate is higher in monozygotic
twins than in dizygotic
3) Adoption studies
Supports the idea of genetic factors of
depression

4)Linkage analysis
No evidence for depression
How Neurotransmitters cause
depression?
NEUOROTRANSMITTORS:

Low levels of Nor epinephrine

Low level of serotonin(Thase et al.2002)

It is verified by studies of actions of drugs used

to treat depression

More evidences were provided by measuring

the amount of metabolites of drugs and
behavioral effect of drugs
Studies of Drugs

TRICYCLIC DRUGS
Trade name: Tofranil
It prevents the reuptake of
neurotransmitters

MONOAMINE OXIDASE INHIBITORS

Trade name: Parnate
Block the enzyme monoamineoxidase

SELECTIVE SEROTONIN REUPTAKE

INHIBITORS
(Fluoxetine, prozac)
Inhibit the reuptake of serotonin

L-TRYPTOPHAN
Serotonin producer
Two main Approaches

Metabolites
MHPG(3-methoxy-4-hydroxyphenyl glycol)
It is the metabolite of nor-epinephrine. Depressed patients have low level
of MPHG in their blood serum, urine and cerebrospinal fluid.

5-HIAA (5-Hydroxy indole acetic-acid)

It is the metabolite of serotonin. It should also be in low amount in the
patients of depression.

Behavioral effects of drugs other than antidepressants

Amount of neurotransmitters in brain

Research (National Institute of Mental health)

The urinary level of nor-epinephrine decreased as patients become
depressed(Bunny & Murphey)
New Approaches

Post synaptic effects of anti-depressants

It focuses on whether the antidepressants changes the
chemical messengers that a post synaptic receptor sends into
post synaptic neuron

G- Proteins (Guanine-nucleotide binding proteins)

It is found in post synaptic cell membrane. Low level of G-
proteins are found in patients of depression
What are the changes in Brain associated
with depression?
Brain Imaging Studies:

Structural studies:
Structural studies focus on whether there
are fewer cells or connections with in a
given region of the brain.

Functional activation studies:

It focus on whether there is a change in
the activity of a brain region.
Brain structures involve in
depression

AMYGDALA
It asses how emotionally important a
stimulus is?

HIPPOCAMPUS
Helps to retrieve previous memories

PREFRONTAL CORTEX &

ANTERIOR CINGULATE
These focus on situation and
execute appropriate plans
Brain structure involve in
major depression:

Functional Activation studies

Dim Dim
Dim ini i nis Ele
inis sh he v at
hed ed d ed

Prefrontal Anterior
cortex Cingulate Hippocampus Amygdala
( Dorso-lateral (Dorsal portion)
Portion)
Positron emission tomography
How Neuroendocrine system is
linked with depression?
 The Neuroendocrine system:

Cortisol dysregulation and Depression:

HPA axis that manages reactivity to stress, may

be overly active when people have MDD.

Amygdala is also overly reactive in people with

MDD.

The HPA axis triggers the release of Cortisol, the

main stress hormone, which triggers changes in
body. Various findings link depression to high
cortisol level.
EXAMPLE:

 CUSHINGS DISEASE:
For example, Cushing's syndrome, which causes over
secretion of cortisol , frequently experience depressive
symptoms.(Gutman & Nemeroff, 2003)

DEXAMETHASONE SUPPRESSION TEST:

The dexamethasone suppression test is used to measure
cortisol regulation. In some people with mood disorder ,
dexamethasone does not suppresses cortisol secretion,
particularly whose disorder is of psychotic nature.(Nelson
& Davison, 1997). This lack of cortisol is seen as a sign of
poor regulation of the HPA axis during episodes of MDD.
Hippocampus:

Long term excesses of Cortisol have been linked to damage to the

hippocampi among people who have experienced depression for
years(Duman et al. 1997).
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